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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27416728">Hot And Bothered</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liz_87/pseuds/Liz_87'>Liz_87</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Casualty (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:07:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,212</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27416728</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liz_87/pseuds/Liz_87</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Duffy convinces Charlie to help her find the source of a noise. Set during series 13.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lisa "Duffy" Duffin/Charlie Fairhead</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hot And Bothered</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Remind me again why we're here..." Charlie grumbled as he peered around the dimly-lit boiler room, using the small torch he held in his hand to illuminate the many shadowy corners.</p><p>"I heard a noise." Duffy replied, aspirated at his complaining.</p><p>"And you couldn't just tell security because..?"</p><p>"I got curious." She shrugged, an impish grin on her face.</p><p>"OK... But why am I down here too?"</p><p>"I didn't want to investigate by myself and you were the only person that wouldn't ask too many awkward questions as to why..." She huffed and rolled her eyes. "At least that's what I thought anyway..!"</p><p>"It'll just be a cat." Charlie sighed.</p><p>"Even so..!"</p><p>Charlie harrumphed as he continued to search the basement. He'd been pretty much convinced from the moment she'd mentioned hearing a strange noise from the hospital boiler room that it would be a pointless exercise to search for the source but there was something about her face that he had trouble saying no to.</p><p>After searching the room twice Duffy turned to Charlie and shrugged. "Maybe it was a cat." She admitted sheepishly.</p><p>"Duffy!"</p><p>"It gave you a break from all that paperwork you were complaining about." She countered.</p><p>"Yes because getting all hot, sweaty and dirty clambering around searching for a mystery noise was exactly what I wanted to be doing instead Duffy."</p><p>"You are such a grumpy pants." She retorted.</p><p>Charlie made a rude noise as he moved to open the door so they could head out into the fresh air and get back to work. The door handle rattled but didn't budge.</p><p>Duffy tilted her head as she regarded him, an eyebrow arched.</p><p>"Its jammed." Charlie explained rather unnecessarily.</p><p>"That's not funny. You've made your point, just open the door."</p><p>"I can't."</p><p>"Oh give it here!" She grumbled, grabbing the handle, doing her best to ignore the thrill that jolted through her as their hands met.</p><p>Still the door wouldn't budge.</p><p>"This is your fault!" She pouted, folding her arms across her chest.</p><p>"How'd you work that out?"</p><p>"You closed the door. Now it won't open."</p><p>"That's ridiculous Duffy!" He sighed. "So what we going to do now? Just sit here and hope someone realises we're missing and comes looking for us?</p><p>"Well what else do you suggest?" She retorted, moving to sit on a discarded wooden crate.</p><p>Charlie harumphed as he sat down on another unturned crate. "That's the last time I get involved in one of your hair-brained ideas..!"</p><p>"My ideas are not hair-brained!" She pouted.</p><p>Charlie had to force himself to pull his gaze away from her lips. Now was not the time to get even more hot and bothered! He pulled at his collar.</p><p>"Hot?" She queried.</p><p>"What do you think?" He shot back.</p><p>"Well take your coat off then." She suggested, indicating the white uniform jacket he was wearing.</p><p>He hesitated but then saw that she was undoing the top of her uniform dress, using her hand to fan herself.</p><p>"You roast if you want to but I don't intend to!" She added, smirking.</p><p>Charlie pulled a face at her as he removed it and placed it down on the box beside him with more force than was strictly necessary causing it to fall onto the dirty floor. He scowled, picking it back up again and attempting to brush the dust off, as Duffy snorted with laughter.</p><p>A silence fell over them as they both tried to figure out what to do next.</p><p>Eventually Charlie moved once more over to the jammed door and attempted to prise it open using a variety of bits and pieces he found scattered around the floor. He'd almost managed to get it open a crack when a sudden loud noise caused a screaming Duffy to jump up and dive in his direction as the lights failed.</p><p>"What the..?" He stammered as she collided with him, causing him to drop his torch and instinctively place his arms around her.</p><p>After a few seconds his eyes started to adjust. What little light there was reflected off her wide, panic-stricken eyes.</p><p>"Its ok." He reassured her, feeling that she was trembling slightly. "I'm just going to bend down to get the torch. You're perfectly safe."</p><p>He kept hold of her left hand as he stooped down. He was so focused on trying to locate the torch that he misjudged the distance between them and his face brushed against something soft and warm as he bent down. It was only when he'd retrieved the torch that he registered that he'd managed to rub his face in his best friend's breasts..!</p><p>The awkward silence lingered for several moments before finally being broken by Duffy clearing her throat. "Did you find the torch?" She mumbled, still clinging onto his hand in the darkness.</p><p>"Um... Yeh..." Charlie turned the torch on, dazzling both of them.</p><p>"Charlie!" She grumbled, squeezing her eyes shut.</p><p>"Sorry!" Charlie apologised, flicking it off again. "Maybe you should hold the torch while I try the door again..?"</p><p>"O-ok." She agreed, the quicker they got out of there the better - the atmosphere between them was thick with a tension that shouldn't exist between best friends who were married to other people.</p><p>He handed her the torch and moved back to the door. "Can you stand closer? I can't see!" He grumbled.</p><p>She edged closer, the torch raised to shine over his shoulder whilst Charlie attempted to free the door. It rattled and creaked and then suddenly there was a pop. Charlie fell backwards, colliding with Duffy and sending them both crashing into a pile of boxes.</p><p>"Oops!" Charlie groaned, holding up the door handle which had broken off in his hand.</p><p>"You have got to be kidding me..!" Duffy grumbled, trapped underneath Charlie.</p><p>"Sorry." Charlie apologised, rolling over in an attempt to help her up but only succeeding in squashing her further.</p><p>"I'm not sure the universe wants us to leave here... Oof!"</p><p>Pushing himself up slightly, Charlie was about to get up fully when his gaze caught Duffy's in the darkness. There was something about her eyes that had always drawn him in.</p><p>She reached up to stroke his cheek gently moments before his lips crashed into hers. A whispering voice in both their heads told them it was wrong, that they needed to put some distance between them fast but that voice was quickly drowned out by their mounting passions.</p><p>So engrossed were they that they didn't hear the repeated banging until several engineers suddenly came crashing through the doorway.</p><p>The engineers smirked at each other as Charlie and Duffy scrambled to gather their belongings, not able to look at each other or the engineers as they did so.</p><p>Once outside Charlie opened his mouth to discuss what had just happened but Duffy quickly hurried back into the building without a backward glance.</p><p>He sighed, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck, before traipsing after her, knowing it would probably be best to keep his distance for a while til she'd calmed down. One day they would finally stop playing games but til then they'd have to make do with snatched opportunities that would then be swept under the carpet just like all the other times.</p>
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